An approaching tropical storm has forced thousands of scouts attending an international event in South Korea to leave their campground.
On Monday, the South Korean government informed the World Scout Jamboree's organizers that the event could no longer be held because of a lack of safety.
The World Organization for Scout Movements and national delegations, who had been urging that the site be closed for days, expressed their worries, and the administration claimed that it had considered their concerns.
According to Kim Sung-ho, a deputy minister in South Korea's Ministry of the Interior and Safety, 36,000 scouts, most of whom are adolescents, from the World Scout Jamboree in Saemangeum would be transported by bus to safer regions starting on Tuesday at 10:00 local time (01:00GMT).
He noted that although the site "is only changing due to the natural disaster," the event "is still going on."
According to him, most of the 158-nation scouts would be housed in Seoul, the capital city, and the surrounding metropolitan region. In addition to hotels, officials attempted to reserve space at government training sites and educational institutions. Kim estimated that it would take at least six hours to get the scouts out of the campground, which, according to the event's planners, won't be utilized for any other events once they depart.
For more than a week, Storm Khanun has been meandering its way around the islands off the southwest coast of Japan, dropping torrential rain, cutting electricity to tens of thousands of households, and interfering with train and airplane schedules. According to the Japan Meteorological Agency, it had sustained winds of 108 kph (67 mph) on Monday afternoon and was expected to keep at that intensity when it touched Japan's major island of Kyushu this week.
According to South Korea's weather service, Khanun was predicted to make landfall on Thursday morning with gusts that might reach 118 to 154 kph (73 to 95 mph). According to the service, the storm could begin to have an impact on large portions of the country's south as early as Wednesday, including Busan.
The plans to evacuate the scouts were announced hours after President Yoon Suk Yeol’s office said he called for “contingency” plans, including relocating them to hotels and other facilities in the greater capital area.
The South Korean Safety Ministry said the storm will unleash strong winds and rain throughout the country from Wednesday to Friday and instructed local officials to prepare to shut down coastal areas, hiking trails, river parks, underpass tunnels, and other sectors vulnerable to flooding.
On Monday, the South Korean government informed the World Scout Jamboree's organizers that the event could no longer be held because of a lack of safety.
The World Organization for Scout Movements and national delegations, who had been urging that the site be closed for days, expressed their worries, and the administration claimed that it had considered their concerns.
According to Kim Sung-ho, a deputy minister in South Korea's Ministry of the Interior and Safety, 36,000 scouts, most of whom are adolescents, from the World Scout Jamboree in Saemangeum would be transported by bus to safer regions starting on Tuesday at 10:00 local time (01:00GMT).
He noted that although the site "is only changing due to the natural disaster," the event "is still going on."
According to him, most of the 158-nation scouts would be housed in Seoul, the capital city, and the surrounding metropolitan region. In addition to hotels, officials attempted to reserve space at government training sites and educational institutions. Kim estimated that it would take at least six hours to get the scouts out of the campground, which, according to the event's planners, won't be utilized for any other events once they depart.
For more than a week, Storm Khanun has been meandering its way around the islands off the southwest coast of Japan, dropping torrential rain, cutting electricity to tens of thousands of households, and interfering with train and airplane schedules. According to the Japan Meteorological Agency, it had sustained winds of 108 kph (67 mph) on Monday afternoon and was expected to keep at that intensity when it touched Japan's major island of Kyushu this week.
According to South Korea's weather service, Khanun was predicted to make landfall on Thursday morning with gusts that might reach 118 to 154 kph (73 to 95 mph). According to the service, the storm could begin to have an impact on large portions of the country's south as early as Wednesday, including Busan.
The plans to evacuate the scouts were announced hours after President Yoon Suk Yeol’s office said he called for “contingency” plans, including relocating them to hotels and other facilities in the greater capital area.
The South Korean Safety Ministry said the storm will unleash strong winds and rain throughout the country from Wednesday to Friday and instructed local officials to prepare to shut down coastal areas, hiking trails, river parks, underpass tunnels, and other sectors vulnerable to flooding.
